As a writer who lives in Taiwan and has traveled extensively in Thailand (most recently on an eight-day trip to Chiang Mai and the surrounding area), I thought it would be useful to compare and contrast these two countries from a travel perspective, answering the following questions:

How are Taiwan and Thailand different?
How are they similar?
Which place is better for what kinds of travel?

Among the 60 % of foreigners who participated in this round-island cycling event, a Japanese journalist talks about him getting deeply moved by the beauty of the east coast, the cheers of the passer-bys, and the potential he sees in Taiwan tourism.

When Céline and Xavier Pasche left Switzerland by bicycle in 2010, they had no real fixed route in mind. Their goal was merely to begin cycling, and their only agenda was to go where their bicycles took them and to trust the road completely.

Waking up to the sound of rain on the roof is never a great omen on a cycling tour, and was even less so for me as guide since I knew that the first half of the day would be filled with winding mountain roads. But the group was in good spirits nonetheless as we rolled down the hill from Ruisui heights, rain gear flapping wetly as we rode. The rain slowed to a drizzle around the time we reached the bottom of a road which, for my money, is one of the finest in Taiwan: Route 64, AKA Monkey Mountain Road.

Although I’d only known Brandon and Emily for an hour (including time taken to adjust their bicycles), I felt like I was riding with old friends. A line in Emily’s final tour confirmation email had tipped me off to the fact that this would be an interesting tour.

Over the past twenty years Taiwan has become a major destination for bicycle tourists (as well as the go-to spot for expats looking to live someplace offering second-to-none cycling). A big part of this is due to the sheer variety of cycling experiences offered by our fair island. From hardcore climbs and descents to long, winding coastal roads to gorgeous paths stretching through valleys, Taiwan’s got enough road variety to make getting bored nearly impossible.

Route 11 stretches like a lazy python along Taiwan’s eastern coast. From north to south it’s roughly 300 miles of small towns, sheer-drop cliffs, dynamite-blasted tunnels, and many spectacular (and eminently surf-able) riptide heavy beaches. It’s a road for drivers with strong stomachs who are in no particularly hurry. Leaving Hualien early, we ride beneath watery skies, passing a series of strange statues from Chinese mythology in a parking lot overlooking the beach. At the far edge of the lot a group of travelers giggle and take pictures of something beyond the railing. It is a bare-chested mermaid sitting on a rock next to an arch bridge, wearing a Hawaiian lei.

While the mercury dips dangerously in North America and rises in other parts of the globe for the last weekend in 2017, the forecast ion Taiwan is for cool and mostly dry around the island, or as I like to call it, cycling weather.

Offering crystal blue water surrounded by amazing temples, bamboo forests and mountains on all sides, Sun Moon Lake is Taiwan’s most visited attraction. The waters are blue and deep (it’s the largest body of water on the island), and the reflection of the mountains and clouds dancing across the lake itself have inspired poets for generations.